Text: John 1:14
“The Word became flesh.” This was Jesus; He came to earth to live among men. This was necessary to fulfill His mission through His death on the cross [more on this in a future lesson]. In this lesson, we are going to take a broad look at the life of Jesus and see what we can learn and apply.
His Birth
- Story of His birth (Luke 2:1-7)
- Announced by angels, God’s messengers (cf. Acts 7:53) – before His birth (Luke 1:30-33) and after His birth (Luke 2:13-14)
- Fulfillment of prophecy – virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:34-35), born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Luke 2:4-7), and others
His Childhood
- Only one event recorded (Luke 2:41-52) – important lessons in it
- He knew where He came from (Luke 2:49) – more than just a carpenter’s son (Matthew 13:55); they were amazed at His understanding (Luke 2:46-47) which came from above (John 7:14-16)
- He was still God in the flesh – “My Father” (Luke 2:49) indicated equality (John 5:17-18; cf. Colossians 2:9)
- He submitted to His earthly parents (Luke 2:51) – example for all children to follow (Ephesians 6:1-3)
- He grew in different areas (Luke 2:52) – wisdom, stature, favor with God, favor with men
He Fulfilled the Father’s Will
- Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth was to do the Father’s will (Hebrews 10:9) – this would include His sacrifice on the cross (Hebrews 10:10; cf. Philippians 2:8)
- This does not mean that there was ever a conflict between Jesus’ will and the Father’s will – they were in perfect agreement with one another (John 8:29; 10:30); the alleged example of conflict is not that at all (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:35); Jesus was not praying to abort the mission, but for help to complete the mission; His prayer was answered (Luke 22:43)
- Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Father’s will (John 17:4) – fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17); testified to the truth (John 18:37); willingly laid down His life (John 10:17-18)
He Left Us a Perfect Example
- Jesus lived a life without sin (1 Peter 2:22) – example for us (1 Peter 2:21); we are to live as He lived
- This means that it matters to God how we live our lives – Jesus will save those who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9); He does not want us to continue in sin (1 John 2:1; cf. John 5:14; 8:11)
- We must strive to overcome sin in our lives (Romans 6:1-2, 6-7, 11-14)
- Jesus showed us how to overcome temptation (Matthew 4:1-11) – remember the word (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10); remember that God’s word means what He intended (Matthew 4:6; cf. Psalm 91:11-12); remember God’s promises (Matthew 4:9; cf. Daniel 2:44); remember the temporary nature of earthly things (Matthew 6:19; 2 Peter 3:10)
- We must live in such a way that we can say that Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20)
